Puducherry – through photos

We took this trip sometime in January 2016 to visit our daughter who is currently doing her research there.  The trip was short but memorable.

Puducherry is divided between the White Town or the French section and the Tamil section.  One would probably find the maximum number of French speaking Indians here than anywhere else in the south east Asia.  It’s both a picturesque town as well as like any other town in India, crowded, unorganised and chaotic traffic.  Puducherry effortlessly lives through this dichotomy or better, the duality of order and chaos, elegance and ordinary, black and white ….

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We were there during Pongal Festival and this is what we saw at a village near Auroville
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I loved the way this man was playing the drum
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all the cows were dressed in their fineries but they were really scared with all the sound and crowd
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we took a trip to auroville but sadly due to pongal, everything was closed

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the golden globe of the Matrimandir at auroville

 

The town:

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A beautifully maintained example of French Architecture in the White Town
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yes, the roads in the white town do look this lovely
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a park near Aurobindo Ashram
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everyday the hotel staff would put this very colourful rangoli or Kolam in Tamil, in front of the gate. In fact, the entire Puducherry town has very colourful kolams in front of the buildings

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the hotel where we stayed
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inlay work in one of the buildings

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the french library of the extreme orient
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another beautiful road
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and another

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And, now the sea …..

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enjoying the sea
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a government office in the erstwhile lighthouse!
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French war memorial for all the soldiers who died in World War I
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The promenade which is on Goubert Avenue, is closed for vehicular traffic everyday from 6 p.m to 7.30 a.m the next day, so that people can walk and enjoy the beach. wonderful, no?
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another smaller beach nearby
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sunrise
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i loved the way the colour of the water turned slightly copperish
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morning stroll on the promenade on Goubert Avenue

and now, my favourite, the food:

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I had asked for a masala dosa and this is what I got. don’t ignore the tomato rose!
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The White part of the town is full of lovely restaurants which serve both Indian and French cuisine
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enjoying the evening in a spirited way
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lunch at famous surguru restaurant

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this is apparently the most famous mutton samosa and paya soup place in puducherry

 

I live in Bangalore, India, and by profession, I am CEO of a consulting organization, an Organization Consultant and an Executive Coach. I write because I like writing my thoughts and reflections for me to review my life and the life as I see around myself. However, sometimes it makes sense to convey my thoughts to others and connect with others. Maybe it strikes a chord; may be it does not. My life has been my most outstanding teacher, which is why I like sharing my experiences, memories, encounters and other narratives that I build as I go along. I am interested in people, society, culture, ways of life, individual and collective narratives/stories as they lead us to discover each other as nothing else does. I also write about coaching, people's lives, culture, stories, mothering my daughter, believing in a feminine way of life, and most of all, believe that all politics starts from the self and personal convictions

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